John Courtney – Snowboard and Ski Shaper

John Courtney

Please tell us about what do you do and how long you have been doing it.

I have been working with Gilson for about four years now. I build, shape, and oversee many of the building processes in the shop. Over the years I have done everything from using CNCs to manufacture our PA poplar wood cores, sublimating graphics, hand bending edges, epoxy and fiberglass wet layups, to band sawing boards to shape.

How did you get into your career in manufacturing?

I had previously been working construction for Tim Royer, the father of one of the original founders at Gilson. One evening I got a call from his son Austin asking me if I was interested in making snowboards. Building snowboards at a farm in PA so close to home was too crazy of an opportunity to pass up and every day I am glad I made the right choice.

How would you describe a typical day at work?

During a typical day I both help with the actual building processes of boards and skis, as well as oversee many parts of production to ensure the quality of boards being produced.

What do you love most about what you do for your job?

The best part about my job is being able to see a board or skis on a lift or riding down the mountain and knowing that I played a role in building it.